Curiosity
by validname01
Summary: *summary to come*
1. Chapter 1

"One…Two…Three…"

A happy smile was painted on her childish face as she ran for cover in the great forest of flowers. The flowers giggled when she hid behind them, but hid their mouths behind large green leaves after receiving a stern "SHHH!" from the little girl. In the distance, the girl heard the counting stop, and she herself had to suppress her own giggles, lest her friend find her.

"Alice!" she heard him call, and to her nine-year-old ears, there was no sweeter sound. Alice was glad that the Rose had the good sense to hold her back when she took a step forward, for Alice always came when the Hatter called.

"Now let's see… where has that naughty little girl gone to?" his voice was very near to her hiding place so Alice cringed closer to the Rose. "Ladies," Hatter said, addressing the flowers, which all at once began to giggle. The Rose hushed them and turned her beautiful petals in the Hatter's direction.

"Yes?" She inquired of the Hatter in her musical voice.

"I seem to have misplaced my dear Alice," said he with a roguish wink, "have you any thought of where I might find her?"

Alice was paying so much attention to the Hatter that she didn't see the Rose nod and point subtly at her while saying, "Dear friend, I have not, but I assure you that if she happens to come our way, I shall see to it that you are informed at once." She sounded as if she had a smile in her voice. Alice saw the Hatter lift off his hat and bow to the Rose, who, in turn, inclined her head regally.

"Thank you madam," he said. The Hatter rose back up and began to walk away. Alice's heart wrenched at the sight of his retreat and she pulled away from the Rose and set off at a run after him.

"Wait! Wait!" she called, "here I am!" and the Hatter turned, a smile spreading across his handsome face. Alice ran to him and he scooped her up into his arms.

"There you are my dear!" he said with every aspect of delight mixed with feigned relief.

"I was hiding behind the Rose the whole time!" she told him with a laugh.

"Were you? I'd have never known!" he pretended to be astonished.

The Hatter bent and stood Alice on her feet. Alice immediately took his hand and they set off at a walk.

"Dear Hatter, I think I shall never leave you. I shall stay here forever." She said in all her childlike decisiveness.

"I should like that very much, and I don't believe I would ever encourage you to leave us, but I fear, my dear, that the day will soon come when you do just that and forget us."

"Oh no," Alice said coming to a complete standstill, "I will never do that! I love you so very much Hatter! Surely you believe me!" The Hatter smiled sadly and bent down on one knee so that he might look her in the eyes.

"I do believe you, little one." He said and Alice perked up, a bright smile showing her happiness. He kissed her forehead then pushed her a little way forward. "Run along and play now. I'll call you when tea is ready." Alice looked apprehensively over her shoulder but the hatter had gone. Alice frowned and stamped her foot.

"Hatter?" she called crossly, but she knew he wouldn't come. Already, the edges of her Wonderland were starting to melt away as if it were merely painted canvas that somehow had the misfortune to become wet. She heard terrible screams coming from the flower garden, and began to run toward her friends, but her feet held fast to the ground. "Hatter!" she cried helplessly.

Suddenly, her world went black and she was falling.


	2. Chapter 2

Alice jolted awake. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down before looking at the clock on the nightstand. It was exactly ten minutes before she had to get up for work. She groaned and sat on the edge of her bed thinking about the vivid dream that had just played in her mind. She couldn't describe it, but she felt as if she knew first-hand, what that place was. What it smelled like, what it felt like, not only to the touch, but also in her heart. But even as she thought this, she shook her head to clear the sensation.

_That's crazy. _She thought. _You really need some friends. _she scolded herself.

Alice stood and stretched her long body before walking to the bathroom to shower. After she was finished, she wiped the steam from the mirror and began brushing her teeth. That's when the rustling began. She held the brush still in her mouth and listened. The sound came again. She spat out the toothpaste that was in her mouth and set the toothbrush down. She crept quietly to the door and tried to open it silently, but it inevitably creaked.

Almost as soon as the door squeaked, she heard a faint popping noise. She narrowed her eyes and exited the bathroom. She looked all around her apartment, but didn't find anything out of the ordinary. She sat down upon her bed in confusion and was presently nudged by a cold and wet nose. Alice started and looked down, surprised to find a kitten there. This kitten, however, was not an ordinary kitten. Firstly, it had large violet eyes, which was not natural, she was sure and secondly, it was adorned with perfectly straight and precisely spaced black and gray stripes all along its small body. There was a light blue satin ribbon around its neck, but no identification was attached.

"Where did you come from little guy?" she asked the kitten while picking it up.

"Ouch!" it responded and Alice dropped the cat. "Don't squeeze so hard!"

"S-sorry," Alice said backing slowly away.

"It is alright." The cat said, "Don't be frightened." He lay down on her bed and began to lick a paw. "I'm here to take you home." The cat jumped down from the bed and began walking towards her mirror.

"Wait…" _Oh my God, I can't believe I'm holding a conversation with a cat. This can not be possible! _"Did you say take me home? This is my home." The cat gazed sardonically at her.

"Alice…" it said with an undoubtedly snarky edge to his tone, "please."

Alice was so taken aback at the sarcasm in the kitten's tone that she was momentarily struck speechless. The kitten turned and sat down on the floor with a humph.

"We haven't got all day you know." He said.

"All day for what?"

"Are you a dullard? I already told you! I am come to take you home!" being called a dullard by a cat made Alice lose her temper and she raged at the animal.

"Listen cat! I am not dumb, I am home and I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about, or why you're even talking at all. I must be dreaming or something because cats don't talk!"

"I do."

"Yes, but as I've said, you're obviously just a figment of my imagination."

"I am not. I'm as real as you are."

"This is a dream! Nothing more! In a few minutes, my alarm clock will wake me up and you will be gone." The cat sighed.

"I really didn't have to resort to this Alice, but you have really left me no choice." It was Alice's turn for sarcasm. What could a cat possibly do to her that would be so bad? That was when she heard the popping sound again and in place of the cat, was the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

***

Alice wasn't sure how long she'd been out, but one thing was for sure, she was definitely late for work. She went to jump out of bed but found herself on the floor. The towel that she had dried off with was folded neatly beside her and upon gazing at her body, saw she was clothed in a translucent white dress. Alice stood shakily, as she was in black paten heels, and walked slowly to her mirror. Her blond hair was styled with a Grecian headdress with a few stray coils of hair curling down. Her dark blue eyes were outlined in black and her full lips were painted ruby.

"You clean up nicely," said a voice from behind. Alice turned around and gasped in surprise. The now human cat stood before her and she instinctively backed up. "I helped myself. I hope you don't mind," he admitted holding up a glass of milk. He lounged on her bed, as if he owned it, and crossed his leather clad legs. Her eyes wandered appreciatively down his lean torso, for he had on no shirt, to his feet which were also bare. He wore his black hair shoulder length and spiky and Alice was shocked to see the points of a pair of ears poking out. When the cat, if he should even be called that, finished his milk, he stood and stretched.

"Ah! That was such a pleasant luxury. Back home, the queen holds all such luxuries to herself. She has grown most frightfully wicked and fat."

"Queen?" Alice inquired.

"Why, the Red queen of course."

"I still don't understand." Alice stammered.

"No time to explain. Must be off." The cat grabbed her wrists, pulling her towards her mirror.

"Wait! Why are you--- Alice wasn't allowed to finish her sentence.


	3. Chapter 3

For a moment, Alice thought she had fainted again, but it was only her surroundings that had turned black.

"Well come on." commanded the cat and he began to walk forward seemingly on nothingness. Alice watched him walk and looked down at her own feet, she seemed to be suspended in midair, but her footing was solid. _How can this be? _She asked herself and the cat seemed to answer her thought. "You won't fall unless you think you will." He assured her. Alice chose to willfully take a few tentative steps forward as to not fall before lifting her foot.

"Now," the cat said when Alice began walking along side him, "I must warn you. Wonderland is much different than from what you may remember. Try not to be too alarmed." Alice had no clue what Wonderland was or what the cat was even talking about, but she had just walked through her very own mirror and was beginning to think anything was possible.

"I don't remember a Wonderland," she put the word Wonderland in finger quotations as she spoke. The cat nodded as if he had expected her to say something like this.

"You've been having strange dreams recently," he said. It wasn't a question and that fact wasn't lost upon Alice.

"Yes, but how do you…"

They're your memories, or rather, the Hatter's memories of you."

"Hatter?" she pictured in her mind, the beautiful young man who had scooped her up into his arms and kissed her forehead. The cat nodded again.

"You see, when the King of Hearts died, the Queen of Hearts couldn't be controlled. Her rage and her sadness struck fear into all of Wonderland. The Hatter, however, was not afraid of her and he alone concocted a potion to control her rage. She now lives in the forest a docile, old spinster, caring for the mome raths.

"Sounds like he's a great man." She said wistfully and the cat who frequently nods, nodded again.

"That's why the inhabitants of Wonderland wanted him to govern it once the monarchy became open. But the Red Queen challenged him and won." Alice waited for him to continue speaking as she was getting very much drawn in, but he never did so she had to ask.

"What happened then?"

"Well, the Red Queen didn't just stop at the throne, she wanted to discredit the Hatter so no heart in Wonderland would ever love him again, therefore, she sent her sister, The White Queen to seduce him. The White Queen seems like a timid and beautiful woman, but she is nothing short of a harlot. Her seductive arts are unprecedented, and I'm not exactly sure how the Hatter managed to deny her." Alice felt her growing apprehension of the thought of the Hatter with the Queen, dissolve into a feeling of warm relief.

"He denied her?"

"Well of course he did. What did you expect? He is a man of high honor and he was much too in love with you." Alice started in surprise and stopped walking.

"Me?"

"Yes, yes," the cat replied dismissing the question with an impatient wave of his hand and grabbed her wrist to hurry her along. "Nearly there now, we can't be late." Then the cat was silent.

"Please go on." she nearly begged

"Oh alright, anyway, he was much too in love with you not to see through the White Queen's bag of tricks. He told her that he appreciated and was very much flattered by her attentions, but he could not *ahem* lie with her, his reasons, of course, being you. Now, the Red Queen had counted on her sister's ability t seduce, but her sister had failed and so, she forced her into exile and went to see the Hatter herself. There, she tried her damndest to seduce him with her body and the thought of the throne, which I have no doubt that she would have never given him, but he remained firm. He refused her, but that wasn't the story she gave. The Red Queen claimed to all of Wonderland that the Hatter had indeed forced himself upon her when she went over to his home with a peace treaty for him to sign. She had no such treaty of course. But, many believed it to be true, although why, I can not say. They imprisoned him and when he would not claim her as the rightful Queen, she set a spell if ugliness upon him. She gave him a vile, loathsome nature, and twisted him into a shrewd old man, that way no one, especially you, would ever be able to look on him with fond eyes again."

"That's terrible." Alice said.

"Indeed, but the Hatter knew what was to come and so, put you in my charge. He wanted you, and his memories of you, above all else, to remain safe in this dark time." At this point, the cat stopped and drew a large square in the space before him. The square creaked open revealing itself to be a cabinet with only one item inside. The cat pulled it out and held it before her. It was a small silver box. "Open it." He commanded of her.

Alice placed her hands on the lid's edge and lifted up. Inside, the box was lined with dark blue velvet and deep in the bottom was a small silver locket.

"Go on, take it." The cat urged and Alice lifted the locket out of the box and pulled the two edges apart. Inside, was a swirling, gray mist.

"What is it?" she asked looking at the cat with wide eyes.

"His memories, no one can open the locket accept for you. Keep it on your person at all times. It would mean death for the Hatter if the queen found out how to break the spell." He was looking at her in the most serious fashion so she daren't say anything. Alice put the chain around her neck and tucked it into the front of her dress. The cat smiled at her a turned away.

"Lights!" he called and in that exact moment, the space around them became illuminated by the glow of brightly colored mushrooms. There seemed to be no doors or windows so Alice deduced they were underground. "These are the stairs that lead up to Wonderland." He said pointing, "And this is where I leave you." Alice looked over at him suddenly scared, he smiled and patted her shoulder. "You will be fine. Once you reach the top, keep walking forward. You will see the flower garden before you, take refuge with the Rose for the night. I shall find you in the morning. But Alice, remember this, you must not be seen. The Red Queen must not know you have come, do you understand?" Alice nodded, "Good. Heed my warning, Wonderland is no longer a happy place, things that may look harmless are the most hurtful of all. Good luck." And with that, he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Alice breathlessly struggled up the earthen stairs, amazed at how many there were. She lost count at 507. It was dreadfully dark as only one or two mushrooms would light up at a time and had a nasty habit of extinguishing themselves as soon as she passed. She was beginning to think that she would be climbing forever when the steps came to an abrupt end. At the head of the stairs, there was a short hallway lit by two rows of multicolored mushrooms. Alice placed her foot on the dirt floor and looked around for an exit. The hallway was not wide, but it was deep and Alice was thankful for the light of the mushrooms, however dim it was. About ten feet from where Alice stood was a small rounded door with no handle. Alice approached it cautiously and placed her hands upon the cool wood and pushed. The door held fast. She tried locking the tips of her fingers into the crevice between the wall and the door and pulling, but nothing would sway the door into opening.

"How do you open this stupid door?" Alice mumbled to herself and was surprised to find a gruff answer.

"Insulting the Door master's intelligence is not the way to get what you want little girl." Alice jumped and looked to her right, where she saw a great form of a man rise. The man stayed just beyond her sight and she wasn't willing to go any closer.

"I- I was just-" Alice began, but she was interrupted.

"If you expect to make your way through the Wasteland, you need to learn to keep your trap shut."the man said, " 's no telling what you'll offend out there."

"Do you know how to open the door?" Alice asked the man after she decided he wasn't there to kill her.

"I do."

"Could you tell me?"

"Demanding girl, aren't you?" the man came closer and Alice instinctively stepped back. "The Cat told me you were coming, said I'd have the Door ready. He spoke highly of you, he said you were loyal and kind woman, if a bit quiet and shy. All I've seen is an easily irritated, lazy, and petulant child, expecting everyone to do your work. Wonderland is not going to be an easy journey for you and the getting there is just as hard. Tell me, did your parents ever teach you right?"

"My parents are dead." Alice shot back without thinking, "As if it's your business."

"Just as well," the man said nodding, "with the way you behave, it's a wonder anyone stays around you for long." the man came to Alice's side and she looked up into his black eyes.

"That was evil. You know nothing about me."

"True. What I do know is that you need to get through that door and standing here arguing with me is getting you no-where. I have half a mind to go home and let you rot trying to figure out how to open it yourself, but I'm sure the Cat would have a 'hissy' fit if I did. Give me your hand." the man said and Alice glared, putting her hands behind her back. The man did not look amused. "Do you want to get through the door or not?" he asked and Alice tentatively stuck out her hand. The man's rough hand grasped hers and Alice had just enough time to see a flash of silver before a sharp pain caressed the palm of her hand. Alice groaned as the man wrenched her by the wrist to place her hand upon the wood of the door. As soon as the blood soaked into the wood, a brass door handle appeared. Alice felt the man pull her hand up to assess the damage. She saw him wrap a cloth around her hand before he let her loose. "Good luck." was his final comment before he too, left her.

Alice peered around in the darkness before setting her hand upon the cool handle. She opened the door just enough to peek her head out and gasped upon seeing Wonderland. Her eyes took in all they could in the near absolute dark, their young sharpness not missing the stagnant fog that covered the ground. Alice drew away from the door when she noticed the fog creeping in. The fog swirled around her ankles and Alice felt cold, as if the fog carried something sinister. Taking a deep breath she opened the door just wide enough to slip her slim body through and she quickly shut it behind her. The door instantly disappeared and Alice was left facing the trunk of a massive tree. Alice felt her heart rate increase, not only was she alone, but she was without refuge or directions to safety.

Alice turned and leaned back against the tree, surveying her surroundings. She took a few tentative steps forward but almost immediately withdrew to behind a large black mushroom when she heard footsteps approaching. She peered out from behind the fungi and through the fog, could see the silhouette of a small, oddly shaped man. His large, velvet top hat was perched awkwardly atop a misshapen head and the face of the man was decrepit and sour. He walked with a limp but was helped along by a knobby cane. His tail coat dragged along in back of him and the fog closed behind it. Everything about his person was repulsive, but Alice felt drawn to him. She almost stepped out into his path, but something held her back and when Alice looked down, she saw a large fox with wide black eyes. The fox dropped the hem of her dress before running into the dark behind her. Alice briefly thanked the fox in her mind before turning back to watch the man.

The man had stopped before a gnarled tree some fifteen feet away from where she stood. He rapped on the thick trunk with his cane and the tree opened up to him. Alice waited until the man was safely inside and the trunk had closed behind him before she ventured from her hiding place. She was itching to follow the man, but told herself that it was best to stay on the course the Cat had recommended. She had taken about three steps, when her curiosity got the best of her. She stole quietly up to the tree and peeked in a dusty window. Immediately, the cold hit her, but there was no temperature change, she felt this directly in her heart. The place where the man resided was cold, just like his ungainly countenance. There was a distinct absence of warm light, no fire glowing in the hearth, only a small candle burned next to a high-backed, moldy-looking chair.

With her nose pressed up against the glass, she could just make out the form of the man in his dilapidated chair. In his gnarled hands, she saw something the resembled a mirror. She squinted to see the reflection in the glass, but the dark did not permit it. The man, however, saw what was there, and was not happy. Alice watched as he threw the mirror onto the floor, then rise, only to stomp it with his foot, as if he could possibly stamp out the reflection. He kicked the mirror into a corner where the candle's straining light couldn't reach. Alice saw his slumped form retreat back to the chair and after a while, his body relaxed enough for Alice to guess that he was asleep. Before Alice could stop herself, she found herself thinking about how nice it would be to cover the man with a blanket.

The rest of her trek through the wastes of Wonderland passed almost uneventfully. The fog seemed to follow her, but aside from being super creepy, it did not harm her. She had been walking for what seemed like years when a dark shadow loomed in front of her. Cautiously, she neared the shadow. When she was upon it, she realized it was the Forest of Flowers, but it's entrance was blocked by a large tangle of vines. She approached the vines and gasped upon seeing the thorns there. They were nearly a foot long and looked very lethal. She knew instantly what she had to do. Alice reached out and placed her finger on the tip of one particularly long thorn. The sharp plant sliced cleanly through her flesh and tears sprang into her eyes. Alice pulled up the hem of her dress to quell the bleeding, but to her surprise, she found the cut already healed. She looked at her hand in shock and examined it with scrutiny, but found nothing. She looked back at the thorn and found it red with her blood, proving that blood had indeed been shed. The blood disappeared into the plant and it began to quiver. The plants unraveled and pulled away from each other, inviting her to step through. She took a few steps forward and the gateway closed behind her, forcing her to continue forward. The vines grew so that they rose up in walls next to her and even over head causing the thorns to jut down menacingly. The open air quickly was lost to the thorns and Alice felt herself breathing harder in the clausterphobic atmosphere of the labyrinth. She quickened her pace and soon found herself running toward a stretch of moonlight.

Her heart plummeted upon sighting the clearing. Circular, bare, and lined with thorns, it failed to be the refuge she had been hoping for. She dropped down to the dewy grass as tears of frustration rolled down her cheeks. Alice was so absorbed in her fear and misery that she never noticed the vines creeping toward her and she remained ignorant until they began slithering up her body. When the first of them took ahold of her ankle, she let out a small shriek and was rewarded with another vine slapping down over her mouth. Very soon, her entire body was covered by the strangling vines and she found herself being carried away. She let out a great "humph" when the vines carelessly deposited her back onto the frosty grass. She coughed and sputtered, trying to urge air back into her lungs. When she could properly breathe again, Alice's body tensed. The atmosphere felt wrong here. She looked around, trying to set her bearings straight, but there was no light or stars to guide her.

She though of lifting her foot to test the ground in front of her, when she froze. Wisps of hair on the back of her neck rose and fell and she slowly swiveled her head to the right, where she tried to look over her shoulder. She had just enough time to glimpse feral yellow eyes and sharp teeth in a snarling mouth before a deafening roar paralyzed her. When the roar reduced to a growl, she stumbled backwards away from the beast and fell up against a creature that made hissing noises through their long snouts. Razor sharp teeth tore at her dress as she struggled to escape the terrible clutches, she wasn't having much luck, but was grateful for the tug to safety she soon received.

"Petunia! I told you not to let the Dandelion out! Rose is going to murder you!"

"Aww, Lily, I was just having fun!" But apparently, Lily wasn't listening.

"And the Snapdragon! I suppose that was Chrysanthemum!" a giggle came from Alice's left.

"Not me Lily."

"I'll believe that when my petals turn black!"

It was then that Alice noticed who, or what rather, were talking. The giant flowers were standing, so to speak, over her and the one called Lily had placed a protective leaf over her shoulder. The Lily was beautiful, even in the dim light, the bright orange of her petals was astonishing.

"What is she to us anyway?" the Chrysanthemum drawled.

"Yeah! Why should we care?" The Petunia put in. Alice felt the desire to defend herself against them, but she suppressed it and the Lily soon came to her defense.

"The ignorance of our young saplings is appalling." said the flower, "you two should be ashamed of yourselves. Rose will hear of this, I promise you! I will send word at dawn with one of the weeds." The flower then turned her attention to Alice. "You may rest there for the evening dear. We've made a small bed for you just a bit off the way there." Alice turned to look at where the flower was pointing and saw that the "bed" was one made of dainty looking flower petals. "The Cheshire Cat will find you there. He will take you to the Rose in the morning." Alice, finding it hard to manage a coherent sentence, nodded and gave the Lily her thanks.

The Lily pushed her in the direction of the bed and Alice stood at the edge of the bed grateful for somewhere comfortable and safe to sleep. She lay down as gently as possible atop the fine petals and trailed her hand over the petals in front of her face. She heard a slight giggle that surprised her into sitting up and looking down. Alice grinned as a small face turned up at her.

"You tickle." the small flower giggled again and many other faces began to turn toward her, some excited to see her, others yawning and eager to get back to sleep. She smiled at the young faces and found words.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." a blue flower next to her tugged on the hem of her dress.

"Are you a flower?" he asked in a small voice. She laughed and patted his petals.

"No, but I wish I was, you all are so beautiful!"

"Are you a weed then?" asked another.

"No, I'm a girl."

"What's a girl?"

"Children, Children! Miss Alice needs her sleep! The questions will just have to wait!" Alice turned and saw a beautiful flower with hot pink petals towering above her.

"Sorry mother!" they called in unison.

"It's quite alright dears. I'm sure Miss Alice doesn't mind, but for now, you all must rest." The young flowers called, "goodnight," to their mother and turned away. Everything had just settled down when one little head popped up to call goodnight to Alice. All at once, all their little faces turned to wish her a good night.

"Goodnight! Sweet dreams!" she called to each of them.

"Will you be here when we wake up Miss Alice?"

"I will try." she reasoned and after another round of goodnights, the young flowers drifted off one by one. Alice turned back to the hot pink flower.

"I'm sorry I caused such a commotion with your children ma'am."

"Don't be sorry dear, they're very young and very curious. The wind causes commotion, it can't be helped." the flower smiled at Alice, "now off to bed with you. You have an especially important day tomorrow." Alice thanked the flower and said goodnight before she turned toward her bed. She took special care to not wake the 'children' again and soon found herself drop into a contented sleep. Alice shivered and felt a large leaf cover her, instantly engulfing her in warmth. She wanted to rise and thank the flower but she had already begun to dream.


End file.
